Mat'tck
Mat'tck served as Chieftain to the Crippled Bone Tribe. He was very large for a Nezumi and being white, was an unusual color for the Crippled Bone Tribe. As chieftain, Mat'tck took revenge on many Shadowlands creatures, killing them for the damage they had done to his tribe. The Way of the Ratling, p. 97 Early Years At less than one year of age, he killed a goblin that had wandered into his tribe's den and killed two of his littermates. His mother and the tribe's hunters returned to find him gnawing busily on the bakemono's skull amid the furs where his dead siblings lay. From that day forward, the tribe elders knew that Mat'tck's Name would one day hold great power. The Legion of the Dead: The Betrayed Chieftain Way of the Ratling, pp. 96-97 Appearance Mat'tck was very large for a Nezumi, with white fur, an unusual color for the Crippled Bone tribe. Near-constant battle left him tattered and torn, scars marred his entire frame, with a right Missing Eye and part of the accompanying ear. Way of the Ratling, p. 97 They lived south of the Shadowlands without contact of the other nezumi tribes. Way of the Ratling, pp. 7-8 Warrior Mat'tck proved equal to every expectation. He was not only the strongest and most ferocious warrior the Crippled Bone had ever seen, but he was the largest as well. His brilliant white fur was an oddity, and a liability that might have gotten another Nezumi killed, as deep as his people lived in the Shadowlands. But though Mat'tck was easier for predators to spot, he was far more difficult to kill. Chieftain When the tribe's chieftain ordered to move the camp due to the predations of a vicious pack of Sanru no Oni, Mat'tck refused to leave, and was cast out of the tribe by the angry chieftain. He hunted the oni pack over a period of several weeks, returning to the tribe with the wings of the defeated oni. Mat'tck challenged his chieftain for leadership of the tribe, and the elder Nezumi surrendered without conflict. Mat'tck became the Chieftain of the tribe, being his friend Te'tik'kir his advisor. Te'tik'kir's Dream Te'tik'kir dreamed of a unified Nezumi, such as the fallen empire Rememberers spoke of in their stories from Yesterday. He believed that the best way to create the One Tribe was to convince Mat'tck to use the unstoppable military power of the Crippled Bone Tribe to conquer the other tribes in the north and form them into a single, powerful unit and ultimately defeat the Shadowlands. Way of the Ratling, p. 98 Nezumi Migration In 1126 the Dark Oracles created the Elemental Terrors. Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition, p. 19 They had gathered humans to become their pawns. Mat'tck had been conducting scouting missions to a nearby fire mountain where they saw several Maho-tsukai who had come from all across the Shadowlands. When the nezumi were discovered, the humans, huge beasts created from the elements themselves, killed several warriors and mates. They pursued the tribe north for days until finally they crossed the Black Finger River. The horrid beasts were lurking not far to the south, and the tribe was unable to return to their territory. Way of the Ratling, p. 20 Unknown to Mat'tck, Te'tik'kir had turned to the aid of the Dark Oracles, seeking his dream of an unified tribe. The Oracles had betrayed him, attacking the Crippled Bone with oni, Elemental Terrors, and other shadowlands monstrosities. Blood Dawn, Part IX: One Tribe, by Rich Wulf Claiming New Territory The Crippled Bone began an expansion of their territory north of the Shadowlands, killing any of the foul creatures they could. The cunning nezumi ambushed and killed a Bog Hag, a feat no other tribe would dare to attempt. They were contacted by the Tattered Ear Tribe, which saw their appearance as a possible source of conflicts among both tribes, so they retreated north their territory, deeper in the Shinomen Mori. Way of the Ratling, pp. 6-8 The Crippled Bone carved out their own territory. The brutal destruction of any Shadowlands beast within their new territory sent a strong message to the other Nezumi. Way of the Ratling, p. 21 Death Eventually the minions of the Dark Oracles attacked again the new Cripple Bone's camp. Mat'tck was killed in the resulting battle, in 1127. Creatures of Rokugan; Third Edition, page ? Legion of the Dead In 1166 Mat'tck joined the Legion of the Dead. He had stepped forward to answer Matsu Goemon's call. See also * Mat'tck/Meta External Links * Mat'tck (Soul of the Empire) Category:Leaders of the Nezumi Category:Characters with Pictures